1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to disposable garments and, more particularly, to a disposable brief designed as a training garment for young children, for bedwetting, or for use by incontinent adults.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Disposable diapers are well known and understood in the art. They essentially comprise a single piece unit with a waterproof exterior or outer grament and a relatively thick absorbent lining on the inside of the waterproof outer barrier. The area of the diaper designed to accommodate the legs and the waist of the user include elasticized material to help seal the diaper against leakage. To fasten opposite ends of the diaper together, as at the waist of the user, there are adhesive tabs. Any particular diaper can accommodate, within reason, various sized users. Different sized diapers accordingly may accommodate a relatively large range of sizes. The diapers are used for infants, and in very large sizes, for incontinent adults.
When a child "graduates" from the infant stage and begins toilet training, it is generally desirable to eliminate the diaper from regular use for several reasons. One reason is for convenience and ease of use by the child, itself. Another reason is that the child psychologically wants to be viewed as something other than a baby. Moreover, the adults generally wish to view the child, or to have the child believe, that it is other than a baby in order to encourage toilet training.
The next step away from a diaper comprises a so-called training panty. The training panty is generally nothing more than a thick cloth brief. The child is able to remove the cloth training brief rather easily, without having to lie down or be put on a changing table. Thus, the ease of use encourages the child in its toilet training.
While the traditional cloth training brief is usable with a child, it is relatively inconvenient in case of an accident, as by either a bowel accident or a bladder accident. The inconvenience results because the cloth training brief must be removed from the legs of the child. That is, the brief must traverse the entire length of the child's legs in order to remove it. Moreover, while the brief is being removed, the part of the body originally subjected to the accident contaminates the area around the child, such as the bed, the carpet, etc. Furthermore, contamination of the hands of the individual helping the child also occurs. The "contamination" may not be too bad at home, but the contamination may be a substantial problem away from home, and particularly at day care centers. Obviously, the difficulty of the cleanup process is increased due to the inconvenience of the training brief. Finally, there is the question of cleaning and storing the cloth training briefs. This issue is also particularly meaningful away from home, and again particularly at day care centers.
The apparatus of the present invention overcomes the limitations and problems of the prior art by providing a disposable training brief of undergarment with the best features of both a disposable diaper and a traditional cloth brief.